Everything Happens For A Reason
by LilE
Summary: It's believed that everything happens for a reason. Then why does it sometimes feel like everything falls apart for no reason at all? -- A new girl moves to Everwood, and everything in her life starts going wrong. At least she has Ephram on her side.
1. Never say never

"Drink your orange juice, sweetie. You don't want to miss your bus," Andy said to Delia, who was sitting at the kitchen counter with a full glass of orange juice and a poptart placed in front of her.  
  
"But Dad, I hate orange juice!" Delia gave her dad an unhappy look.  
  
"What! Since when?" Andy questioned, obviously surprised.  
  
"Since this morning. I've decided not to drink anymore orange juice."  
  
"But why?" Andy asked with a confused look on his face.  
  
"Just because."  
  
"Well, how about you start your non-orange juice drinking ways after you finish this glass," Andy stated.  
  
"Fine," Delia whined as she looked at her dad miserably.  
  
"Ephram, you're going to be late for," Andy was cut off by his son as he came down the stairs.  
  
"School?" Ephram asked in a very annoyed tone. "No, I'm never late for school," he said, giving his dad an irritated look.  
  
"Never say never, Ephram."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'm out." Ephram left through the back door making the screen door slam.  
  
*****  
  
Amy walked up the hallway to meet Colin at his locker before the first bell rang signaling the beginning of their first class. Bright was standing next to Colin explaining how this one girl "made eyes at him" just a few minutes earlier that morning.  
  
"Hey," Amy said with a smile on her face directed towards Colin. For some reason she was a little more bubbly today. "Guess what," she said hoping at least one of them would actually try to guess.  
  
"Umm, the Browns are moving back to New York?" Bright asked sarcastically with a fake, eager look on his face.  
  
"Nope, but close!" Her smile grew a little bigger. "I heard there's gonna be a new girl coming here. I think her name is Alyssa, or something like that."  
  
"Is she hot?" Bright asked.  
  
Colin and Amy looked at each other for a quick second and laughed.  
  
"First of all, I haven't seen her. And second of all, I don't judge whether girls are 'hot' or not," Amy said defending herself.  
  
"So you do judge whether guys are hot?" Colin asked jokingly.  
  
"Of course, but don't worry. You're definitely at the top of my list," Amy said teasingly while smiling at Colin. She leaned over and quickly kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Well, we should probably get to class." Colin directed his words towards Amy and she nodded, still smiling.  
  
*****  
  
Alyssa stepped inside the school building. This school was huge compared to her school back at home. She tried not to make herself stand out too much. She slowly started walking down the hall, and a few minutes later she ended up in the office getting her schedule and locker number. Her guidance counselor sat down and talked with her for a few minutes about school until the first bell finally rang. The blonde-haired woman then walked the girl to her first period class and knocked on the door. The male teacher opened the door and smiled. He respectfully waved off the guidance counselor and welcomed the new student to his class.  
  
"Class, this is Alyssa Taylor," he cheerfully said with a smile on his face. "She's the newest student here, and I'd appreciate it if you all make her feel welcome."  
  
Alyssa stood in front of the class with her backpack on. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and you could tell the smile on her face was being forced.  
  
"Alyssa, you can take the last seat in this row." He pointed to an empty desk behind a girl with red curly hair.  
  
The redhead turned around in her desk to face the new girl.  
  
"Hi," she whispered.  
  
"Hey," Alyssa whispered back to her and smiled slightly.  
  
Alyssa started to think to herself about how she already missed her old school.  
  
Finally, about an hour later, the bell rang for first period to end.  
  
*****  
  
"Well, Doc, you have a new patient coming in about ten minutes. He just moved here. He's coming in for a checkup and to look at some possible choices for counseling," Edna read from the folder she held.  
  
"Sounds interesting. What's his name?"  
  
"Uhh. David Taylor. He's 45 years old," Edna confirmed.  
  
"Any children?"  
  
"Teenage daughter."  
  
"Really. How old?"  
  
"She'll be 16 in a couple of months."  
  
"She sounds about Ephram's age. Interesting."  
  
*****  
  
Alyssa sat down at a table off to the side in the library. She opened her backpack and took out her pale blue spiral notebook. It was lunchtime now, but she wouldn't dare go into the lunchroom. She didn't even know anybody yet. She opened her notebook to the first empty page and started sketching. She didn't even know what she was drawing.  
  
"Hey," a guy said.  
  
Alyssa quickly looked up. She was obviously very surprised someone was talking to her. "Hi," Alyssa said and flashed him a quick smile. She looked back down at her notebook.  
  
The guy looked down to see what she was doodling in her notebook.  
  
"An eye?" he asked.  
  
She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Sure. Why not?"  
  
He laughed nervously. "Ephram Brown." He held out his hand to the girl.  
  
"Alyssa Taylor," she said, slowly placing her hand into his just to be polite.  
  
"Mind if I sit?" Ephram questioned.  
  
"Well, actually. Actually I was just leaving." Alyssa hesitated with her words. She quickly got up and started walking towards the library door to leave.  
  
Ephram stood up before she got too far out of hearing distance. "Nice meeting you."  
  
Alyssa turned to look at Ephram, and she nodded with a little smile. After that she was gone. 


	2. Am I talking to a wall, here?

Alyssa's first day of school in Everwood had just ended. Thank God. She placed the huge Algebra 2 textbook that she had been carrying around with her since 5th period in her new locker. She glanced at the inside of the locker for a few seconds before slowly shutting the door. The hinges on the locker door creaked. She slightly cringed at the sound it made. As she turned around, she found Ephram walking towards her. She turned her head away, looked back at her locker, and sighed heavily. She didn't really feel like talking to anyone right now. She just wanted to go home.  
  
"You left in a hurry today," Ephram stated.  
  
Alyssa turned to face him, but didn't really look at him. She was looking at everything but him. "Oh. Yeah. About that. I'm really sorry. I had to go find my next class," she said uneasily.  
  
"But lunch had just started. You still had at least 20 minutes left," Ephram said. He had a suspicious look on his face.  
  
"So what? I just walk slow." Alyssa shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"Slow? If the speed with which you left the library was your slow mode, then. Well, then, I don't know." Ephram rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Alyssa with a questioning glance.  
  
Alyssa shut her eyes real tight and frowned slightly. She ran her hand through her medium brown hair that came down a few inches past her shoulders. She took a deep breath and let it out gradually. She then opened her eyes. She was kind of hoping that she would have somehow ended up back home or anywhere else other than where she was. Ephram was still looking at her with a confused look.  
  
Alyssa frowned. "I should go, Ephram." She looked down.  
  
Ephram, still noticeably confused, took a step back. "Yeah. I should probably be getting home, too."  
  
"Bye," Alyssa said, as she walked right past the boy not even waiting for a reaction.  
  
Ephram stood still for a second. He turned his head to the right to some extent. He still had that questionable look on his face. He then shook his head and took off in the opposite direction of which Alyssa had left.  
  
*****  
  
"Bright!" Amy shouted. "You failed ANOTHER history test? Mom and Dad are gonna freak. You heard what Dad told you last time. They're going to kill you!"  
  
"No they're not, because they're not finding out." Bright looked at Amy with an intimidating look on his face.  
  
"Um, Bright? Did you somehow forget that when people get an interim, which you definitely will, all of their test grades are on it?"  
  
Bright's eyes got wide. "Oh, man. They ARE gonna kill me!" Bright yelled.  
  
*****  
  
"What do you guys want for dinner?" Andy asked Delia and Ephram, who were playing each other in a video game. Both pairs of eyes were glued to the TV.  
  
"You're going down!" Delia squealed.  
  
"Oh yeah? Take that, you little monster!" Ephram had just won the game, as he usually did when playing against Delia.  
  
"Hello? Am I talking to a wall, here?" Andy asked the two.  
  
They both turned around to face their dad. "Yes," they both said at the same time.  
  
"We want food," Ephram said sarcastically. "Edible food."  
  
Andy laughed to himself. "Mamma Joy's it is, then."  
  
*****  
  
"How was everyone's day today?" Rose Abbot asked the family at the dinner table.  
  
"Really good. There's a new girl at our school. Today was her first day." Amy said.  
  
"Yeah. That was the only exciting thing today. I haven't actually seen her though. But other than that, it was an okay day, I guess." Bright shrugged his shoulders and tried to act nonchalant.  
  
"Just okay, dear? Nothing else happened?" Rose furrowed her brow a little, looking somehow concerned.  
  
Bright took a bite of ham and looked across the table at Amy. Amy was trying to hold in her laugh. If she looked at Bright one more time she would probably burst out laughing. She stared down at her plate.  
  
"Well," Bright started, "I got another test back in my history class."  
  
Harold looked up and over at Bright, taking notice to the last thing he had said.  
  
"And?" Harold lifted his eyebrow waiting for an answer.  
  
"Well, Dad. See, the thing is. I forgot to study. The test was on a Monday and I totally forgot over the weekend and then all of this stuff was stressing me out and."  
  
"Bright? What did you get on the test?" Harold then furrowed his brow as well.  
  
Bright paused and looked over at Amy one last time. "An F. But I swear it was because I didn't have time to study. It's not like I just blew off studying. I actually had important things to do."  
  
"And studying for a test is not important to you?" Rose asked with an appalled look on her face.  
  
Bright spent the rest of dinner trying to explain to his parents why he failed another test. There was a moment or two where Amy tried to help him out, but there was no stopping Rose and Harold Abbott that night.  
  
"Bright, you're grounded!" Dr. Abbott yelled. His words rang through the dining room, and all was silent.  
  
*****  
  
Ephram and Delia sat on the couch. Delia was flipping through the channels to see what was on.  
  
Andy walked into the living room and sat down in the chair. "Have you met the new girl at your school yet, Ephram?"  
  
"How do you know about her?"  
  
"Her father came into the office today. The Taylors, right?" Andy asked.  
  
"Yeah. Her name is Alyssa."  
  
"Have you two met?"  
  
"Kinda," Ephram said, remembering how she had just left him there in the library and the hallway.  
  
"Is she your girlfriend, now, Ephram?" Delia teased.  
  
"No."  
  
"So your girlfriend is still Amy?" Delia laughed.  
  
Ephram shook his head. "No." He got lost in his thoughts for a second, but then stood up and started to walk away. He laughed out loud for a quick moment, and then started to head up the stairs to his room. "No," he said again, smiling to himself.  
  
Delia and Andy looked at each other after seeing Ephram head upstairs almost in a daze. Delia winked at her dad and they both laughed softly, making sure Ephram couldn't hear them. 


	3. Trust me, I know how you feel

Alyssa and Ephram both sat in the same English class not paying any attention to the teacher. Well, they weren't really paying attention to anything at all, for that matter. It was only 3rd period, and both of their minds were some place other than English class. Ephram had his arms crossed on his desk with his head down on his arms. He wasn't asleep, at least not yet. Alyssa had her arm upright on her desk and her head resting on her hand, which was balled into a fist. She was staring out of a window thinking about how everything used to be; how everything was back home. She missed it. She missed it a lot. She hated how she was new and how nobody knew anything about her. And that was the truth. Nobody really knew anything about her. Everyone was so busy with his or her own problems that they didn't want to take the time to get to know anyone else. Well, maybe not everyone.  
  
*****  
  
Dr. Brown sat at his desk in his office. He looked down at the folder lying in front of him. He read the name of the patient silently to himself. He opened the folder and started reading through everything that had been hand-written. Dr. Brown paused. He closed his eyes and sighed.  
  
"Trust me, I know how you feel," he whispered.  
  
Dr. Brown glanced over at the picture of Julia that was placed on the left corner of his desk.  
  
*****  
  
Ephram stepped into the library and saw Alyssa sitting at the same table that she had been sitting at the day before. She had her notebook out and was staring down at the blank page. She held a green drawing pen in her right hand. Ephram thought to himself.  
  
"I'll give it one more try," he said. He took a deep breath in and started walking towards the girl.  
  
Alyssa looked up as Ephram started walking towards her. This time, she actually watched him walk up to her. Ephram stood there for a second.  
  
"An answer to your question yesterday," Alyssa said. "No. I don't mind if you sit." She tried to force a small smile, but didn't have much luck.  
  
"Thanks. You promise you won't run this time?" Ephram said with an unsure look on his face.  
  
"Sorry, but I can't promise you anything, Ephram." She looked a little upset as she spoke. Alyssa glanced down at her notebook. She had drawn a straight line at the bottom of the paper. She stared at the green line. Next, she took her blue pen and drew around the green line. Then, she took her red pen and drew just a small dot at the very top of the paper.  
  
Ephram watched as she drew. "You like to draw?"  
  
Alyssa nodded. "It kinda just takes my mind off of things."  
  
"So you have a lot on your mind, lately?" Ephram asked.  
  
Alyssa quickly looked up at Ephram defensively. This was the first time that she had actually looked into his eyes. Ephram smiled slightly as he looked right back into her eyes. Alyssa seemed somewhat uncomfortable whenever she looked at Ephram. Neither one of them moved until Alyssa slammed her notebook shut. She turned her head to the right, shut her eyes, and swallowed hard.  
  
*****  
  
Delia sat in class as Miss Violet gave out an assignment.  
  
"You will have to write a three-paragraph essay. Now, a paragraph is anywhere from four to seven sentences long. Remember your rules: capitalization, punctuation, and keep your ideas related to your topic sentence."  
  
"Three whole paragraphs?" a boy asked in shock.  
  
"Yes, three whole paragraphs. It's not too much. You just have to think. Just use your brain. And you have the rest of the week to write it. It's due on Friday." The third graders started to chatter with each other. Miss Violet raised her hand to silence the children. "Your topic is: If you could have any super power, it would be. You must explain what super power you would want and why you would want it. It's simple."  
  
"Oh boy," Delia said to herself.  
  
*****  
  
"Ephram, if you could have any super power what would it be?" Delia asked her older brother.  
  
"Umm. I'm not sure. Probably either x-ray vision or." Ephram paused. "The power to read minds."  
  
Andy walked in the kitchen where Delia sat at the counter while Ephram washed the dirty dishes that he had gathered from the living room.  
  
"Why would you want x-ray vision?" Delia asked looking a little bit confused.  
  
"Well." Ephram paused and thought for a second. He smiled.  
  
"Never mind, Delia. Ephram will tell you when you're older." Andy looked over at Ephram and smiled. They both laughed as Andy walked out of the kitchen.  
  
Delia frowned. "Why would you want the power to read minds?"  
  
Ephram looked at Delia. "Well. You know when you see someone and they look sad, happy, or mad, but they won't tell you what's making them sad or happy or mad?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"That's why. Sometimes I just wish I knew."  
  
"Me too! Thanks Ephram," Delia said as she jumped off the stool she was sitting on and ran out of the kitchen.  
  
Ephram walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Right as he sat down, he noticed a red mug sitting on the coffee table.  
  
"Great," Ephram said shaking his head. "Where'd you come from?" 


	4. Well, well Look who it is

Alyssa opened the door to the doctor's office. She slowly stepped inside and saw a rough looking woman sitting at a desk. Edna looked up from the paperwork she had been doing.  
  
"So. You must be Alyssa," Edna said with a pleasant grin.  
  
Alyssa smiled at the woman and nodded her head. "Yeah."  
  
"Well, I'm Edna Harper. Dr. Brown's nurse."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Alyssa said while shaking Edna's hand. Alyssa stood still while looking around. "I've only been to two doctor's offices in my whole life. And I'm sad to say that I've only been in here for a couple of seconds, and I already like this one better."  
  
Edna laughed. "Yep. Everwood will do that to you."  
  
Dr. Brown walked out of his office. "Well, well. Look who it is." Dr. Brown smiled and walked up to the girl offering his hand to shake. She shook his hand and smiled back at him. "It's nice to finally meet you, Alyssa."  
  
She nodded. "You too, Dr. Brown." She smiled again.  
  
Dr. Brown walked Alyssa into his office and shut the door. "I'm just going to give you a routine checkup today." Alyssa nodded. "So, how's your father doing?" Dr. Brown asked as he tried to get a better look at Alyssa's face.  
  
"He's okay. I guess." She flashed Dr. Brown a quick, fake smile.  
  
Dr. Brown nodded. "Well, if you or your father ever need anything, you know where to find me."  
  
"Thanks, Dr. Brown." Alyssa closed her eyes in relief.  
  
*****  
  
Alyssa sat on a stool at the counter in Mamma Joy's. She took a sip of the water she had ordered. She didn't drink a lot of soda, because her mom never had. She wanted to be more like her mom. No. No, she needed to be more like her mom.  
  
"Hey," a blonde haired girl said. She seated herself on the stool to the right of Alyssa.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"I'm Amy Abbott."  
  
"I'm Alyssa."  
  
"Alyssa. Taylor, right? I would offer to shake your hand, but I'm sure you've done enough hand-shaking by now," Amy stated with a grin.  
  
Alyssa smiled back at Amy. "Sure. But what's one more, right?" Alyssa held out her hand.  
  
"Yeah, what's one more," Amy repeated while shaking Alyssa's hand. There was an uneasy silence between the two. "So. What brings you to Everwood?" Amy finally asked restlessly.  
  
"I'm not sure. I guess we just needed a change." Alyssa shrugged her shoulders and slightly tilted her head to the side while thinking to herself.  
  
"Yeah, well I'm sure you're not the only one. I bet everyone around here needs a change. They just don't want to risk losing anything they already have." Amy faintly nodded while she spoke.  
  
"They're really lucky. I wish I had what they have," Alyssa said looking past Amy to see who was coming in the door to the diner.  
  
"Don't worry. You're definitely on your way to having this," Amy said while raising her hands in front of her. She then turned her head to see what Alyssa was looking at. "Oh, that's my grandmother."  
  
"Amy, Alyssa. What are you two doing here?" Edna said acknowledging the two girls.  
  
"Hi grandma. We're just talking."  
  
"Well, you two better finish your girl talk. I'm gonna go grab a seat." Edna took off and sat down in one of the booths.  
  
"She's your grandmother?" Alyssa had a very surprised look on her face. She never would have thought that Edna was Amy's grandmother, but then again she didn't know Everwood.  
  
Amy laughed. "Yep. She's the best. Oh no." Amy looked down at her watch. "I've got to get back home. I'll talk to you later, though."  
  
Alyssa watched Amy hurriedly walk out of the diner. 'She seems really nice,' Alyssa thought to herself.  
  
*****  
  
Delia sat at the kitchen table with her head resting on her left arm. She looked over at the clock. 6:34. She looked down at the piece of paper sitting in front of her. To her disappointment she hadn't written anything yet. Whenever she started to think about any kind of super powers, her mind would wander, and her thoughts kept going off in crazy directions.  
  
She was sick of this! She needed to put her thoughts down on paper so she could get a good grade. She began to write. 'If I could have any super power, it would be the power to read minds.'  
  
Man, this was hard. She didn't even know why she wanted the power to read minds. But no worries, she still had another day to write.  
  
*****  
  
"So, Amy. Mom told me that you met the new girl," Bright said to Amy trying to act somewhat laid-back.  
  
"Okay, first of all, Bright, she has a name. It's Alyssa. And yes, I did meet her. But why do you care so much anyway?" Amy looked at Bright suspiciously.  
  
"I was. Uhh. Just wondering." He had a tiny grin on his face.  
  
"Okay, then. But if you were just wondering, we can drop it," Amy said with a sardonic smirk.  
  
Bright sighed heavily, knowing he had lost yet another banter with his sister.  
  
*****  
  
Alyssa sat on the porch swing on her front porch. It was almost dark out. The wind had picked up a little since she had first come outside. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. The cold air stung her lungs quite a bit, but it didn't bother her that much. It was just air, right? And anyway, this was nothing compared to the pain she had been in throughout her whole life.  
  
*A/N - Hey, guys. I really hope you all are enjoying the story so far, and trust me, it gets better. Sorry this chapter was a little short. Please let me know what you think. Is it worth continuing or am I just wasting my time? Reviews are definitely appreciated! Thanks! 


	5. Looks like we have a winner

"Now, Jason, it looks to me like you have strept throat. I'm going to write you a prescription for penicillin. You should go to the pharmacy and get it filled as soon as possible. Take two pills a day: one in the morning and one at night. Then by the end of the month, the streptococcus should be gone. If it's not, I want you to come see me again. Okay?"  
  
"Will do, Dr. Brown. Thanks." Jason walked out of the door.  
  
"Well, Edna. You haven't happened to find any good counseling options for David Taylor, yet, have you?"  
  
"Actually, Doc. Yes, I have. There's the Cline Health Clinic, but it specializes in the aiding of drug abuse. And, of course, we have the good ol' Denver Health Center."  
  
"And what does that specialize in?"  
  
Edna looked at Dr. Brown with a grin. "Everything, Doc."  
  
Dr. Brown looked up from the folder he was holding and smiled at Edna. "Looks like we have a winner."  
  
*****  
  
Delia sat at a picnic table outside during recess. She had her big coat on and it was zipped up. She watched her warm breath in the cold air. She was still thinking about her writing assignment. How was she ever gonna finish it? She looked up at the sky in amazement. The clouds were gigantic and fluffy. They looked like they were full of snow. Good. Delia loved snow. She always had loved it. Yep, that's right; ever since she was little.  
  
*****  
  
Bright, Colin, Amy, and all of their friends sat in the cafeteria at the table at which they always sat. Kayla and Paige sat opposite of Amy and Colin. Amy looked across the cafeteria at Alyssa and Ephram who were sitting at a table. Neither of them was eating. Amy kept staring at the two.  
  
"Amy?" Kayla was trying to get Amy's attention. "Amy?" Kayla finally turned her head to see what Amy had been looking at.  
  
"Oh. Yeah?" Amy shook her thoughts out of her head.  
  
"Umm. What are you looking at?" Kayla asked Amy with slight concern and annoyance in her voice.  
  
"Uh. Nothing. It's nothing." Amy looked down, and then over at Colin.  
  
"Hey. That's the new girl," Kayla stated while looking at Amy.  
  
"Yeah. I know." Amy looked over at Kayla and Paige.  
  
"Why is she sitting with that-. That guy?" Paige had a disgusted look on her face. Kayla laughed wickedly and looked at Amy.  
  
"I mean, she seems cool," Colin remarked. Bright nodded, but said nothing. He still hadn't met her, even though he had really wanted to.  
  
"She is," Amy said agreeing with her boyfriend. "She's really nice."  
  
Kayla and Paige started a different conversation between the five of them. Well, actually between the four of them, because Bright had barely said anything all lunch period. Amy looked across the cafeteria one more time to see what Alyssa and Ephram were doing, but to her surprise they were both gone. Amy's eyes slightly widened.  
  
*****  
  
It was lunchtime, and Ephram and Alyssa sat in the cafeteria. Ephram sat with his arms crossed on the table.  
  
"You're not hungry?" Ephram asked.  
  
She shook her head. "Not really."  
  
The two sat in awkward silence for what it seemed like at least a couple of minutes.  
  
Ephram grew restless. He looked at her, but she was looking at something else. "You don't talk much."  
  
Ephram's voice broke her daze. She looked down at the table with a slight frown. "Sorry." She looked up at his face.  
  
"Don't be. It's not a bad thing."  
  
Alyssa looked around and whispered, "Ephram, everyone's staring at us." Ephram looked at Alyssa and saw the slightly annoyed look on her face. It was almost like she always had that look on her face. Well, it was either that one or the one where she looked upset. Ephram looked around the cafeteria.  
  
"Come on," Ephram said. He stood up and grabbed his book bag. Alyssa grabbed her book bag, too, and followed Ephram out of the cafeteria. She caught up with Ephram and was now walking beside him.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"Your most favorite place."  
  
"Home?" Alyssa had a fake, hopeful smile on her face.  
  
Ephram laughed. "Not quite." They walked down the hallway. "Here."  
  
"The library?" Alyssa sighed. "Yeah. Sure. My most favorite place in the entire world," she said sarcastically. She laughed and looked over at Ephram. This was probably the first time that he had seen her really smile. Ephram smiled at even the idea of her smiling.  
  
*A/N - Thanks for the reviews I have gotten! Please review if you like it and want more chapters. The more reviews I get, the sooner I will update. 


	6. Author's Note

Okay, people. This story obviously bombed. But for those of you who do kind of like it, don't worry. I'm writing a different story under a new pen name. It's a lot like this one, but just different. I'm not sure when I'll post it, but hopefully it won't be too long .  
  
Stay tuned . 


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